


Puppy Love

by wastedeadspace



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst for everyone tbh, City boy keith, F/M, Hunk is the neighbor, I'll tag as I go, Lance's family owns a farm, Langst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Practice fic tbh, Rating May Change, Swearing, Trans Male Character, Trans Pidge | Katie Holt, klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-05-28
Packaged: 2018-11-04 23:46:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11001513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wastedeadspace/pseuds/wastedeadspace
Summary: After accidentally breeding their dog with the neighbor's, Lance's family decides that they can all keep one and the rest should be sold for profit to the farm. Lance automatically falls in love with the runt of the litter, whom he has ironically dubbed 'Voltron', much to his family's chagrin. However, it seems that Lance isn't the only one who has heart eyes for the pup.





	1. Prologue: The Announcement

**Author's Note:**

> Bother me at @wastedeadspace on Tumblr for updates, questions, headcanons, etc. I'll try to keep the updates consistent. This is gonna be a adequately long fic? Lance is very determined for this puppy. Hunk is Lance's high school friend. Since ages are complicated I'm setting them all right here so I can look back on it just in case I forget because I am: forgetful. I'll add Lance's family's ages at the bottom.  
> Lance: 20  
> Keith: 21  
> Hunk: 21  
> Pidge: 17  
> Shiro: 26  
> Allura: 24  
> Coran: 32

Despite living with twelve other family members, there wasn't really anything too exciting to Lance anymore. Everyday passed the same: taking care of the farm and taking care of the elders ("same difference," Lance would say before getting smacked in the back of his head). Everyday he would do his best to avoid chores and sneak over to his best friend Hunk's house across the street. Usually all they did was lay around playing video games (in Hunk's case, design new ones) and eat pizza, something Lance was always able to appreciate, as he never had any in his own home. Then he'd get scolded by his oldest sister, Catherine, for not doing anything again. 

Today, however, was very exciting.

Lance had invited Hunk over for dinner and he never went anywhere without his therapy dog, Yellow ("I didn't name him that. He came like that.").

Despite being friends with Hunk for almost six years, the guy didn't really come over too often, probably because of Ramira and Tony, Lance's little siblings, who would run around him and jump on him while screaming 'Teddy Bear!' Ramira was the smallest of them all, often keeping her hair in small pigtails while Tony was a bit taller and was nearly the spitting image of Lance apart from the brown colored eyes. That was usually how a lot of different people could tell Lance's baby pictures apart from Tony's pictures. 

It was actually not too exciting, Ramira was following Hunk around and requesting to braid his hair, but Tony was with their father since it was "take your son to work day" and of course he would choose Tony despite the kid being a huge troublemaker. He loved Tony the best. It wasn't even Lance's bias of being the least favorite, he could just tell. Ever since his father found out about his...sexuality...he hasn't exactly been very supportive of him. He didn't show disappointment, but Lance definitely knew it was there. The brunet shook the thoughts away from his mind.

No, today wasn't the exciting day, it was the week after when they found out their dog, ol' Blue, was pregnant with Yellow's puppies.

Everyone was very excited, even Catherine tended to crack a smile every now and again. "I think we should name one green." Miguel, Lance's second oldest sibling, said with a cheeky grin. Lance laughed and gave him a high five. 

"Good one, Miguel." 

"Roger, Roger, Roger!" Ramira chanted. Tony joined in soon after and Lance gave his mother a questioning look as to where she got that name from. His mother smile and shrugged at him. 

It was his father, Antonio, that decided to ruin the mood.

"We can't keep them." He said sternly. "One dog is enough." 

"Oh come on, uncle, just one?" Tolomeo, one of Lance's older cousins asked. He was more like the heavy worker around the farm. "Blue's getting old, she can't keep company to the farm forever."

"For once I agree with Tolomeo. Keeping at least one puppy will allow the children to learn about responsibility, and we can always use more help rounding up the sheep after shearing." She pushed her glasses up. Antonio gave an irritable sigh when even his grandmother, Antonina, started saying she would've loved to have a puppy.

"Fine! But just one!" He growled. They all cheered in unison. Lance and Lin, his twin sister, hugged each other in rejoice. 

"We get a puppy! We get a puppy!" They chanted together. 

The next few weeks...were very tense. 

You see, the last time anyone had even taken proper care of puppies was when their mom was just a little girl, when Antonina was...a lot younger. It was the only time Catherine hadn't been nagging everyone about being on the computer since it was all for research purposes. Lance felt too cooped up and decided to help out on the farm a bit. He couldn't lie: he was anxious. 

What if none of the puppies liked him? He stacked another bundle of hay. What if they all died? What if the people they were sold to were mean to the puppies? There were so many possibilities, so many things that could go wrong. How were they even going to advertise the puppies if they lived in the middle of nowhere? Worst of all: what if they gave away his favorite puppy? He could feel sweat beading down his neck from the ferocious heat. He wished they lived closer to the beach in times like these. Then it would be cooler. 

"Hey, there, stranger. Holding up okay over there." Lance looked up to see Lin. Her ocean blue eyes were swimming with a worry, though she had a smile on her face. "You don't usually willingly do chores." She pointed out. 

"I'm just...thinking."

"That's dangerous." She teased. Lance rolled his eyes at her. Despite her taunts, she was really the only one he could actually open up to.

"Psh, all my ideas are great. But that's not the point. We've never really... _had_ puppies before. I'm so excited but I'm also...a bit worried? What if something happens to them? What if they don't make it? Or what if one of the little one's hurt one by accident? What if---"

"How about," Lin interrupted, kicking her feet, "instead of worrying over the  _what if's,_ you focus on the  _what now's?"_

Lance dropped the bundle he was holding, his arms too weary from throwing so many. He joined Lin on the fence. "What do you mean?" 

"I  _mean_ worrying about what might happen isn't going to help us prevent anything. Right now, all we really need to do is look at what we can do to care for them as best as possible. Despite being old, and kinda losing her memory, I'm sure Antonina will know what to do. I'm kind of just worried about William."

Their great uncle. He was Antonina's younger brother, but he was a really uptight man. He tended to be cold and harsh to everyone but his sister and nephew. Lance was sure it was William's perspective that made their father so...judgemental. He wasn't always cold. But that's a story for another time. 

"Psh, what's he gonna do? Smack one with his walker?" Lance taunted. 

"Maybe." Lin joked back, elbowing Lance. "Isn't it made of metal?"

"The worst that could happen is a pup could run into it. His flabby arms aren't very powerful."

"Yeah. You've got a point. I'm still worried he'll give them to the wrong owner. You know how he can be."

"Yeah..." Lance looked up at the sky. It was really beautiful with different pinks and purples coloring the sky. It was getting late.

"Come on, it's time for dinner. Mama ordered pizza as celebration." 

"What?!" Lance threw himself off the fence. "Why didn't you say so?! Now it's probably cold!" He took off towards the house in a hurry as Lin yelled after him. 

"No worries, we live in the middle of buttfuck nowhere, our pizza guy probably got lost!" They both cackled as they wrestled their way into the house. 

"Settle down, you two!" Catherine scolded as she scratched Blue's belly reassuringly. 

"SeTtLe DoWn YoU tWo!" Lin mocked and Lance cracked up laughing alongside Miguel.

"Mockery isn't that funny." The older sister hissed with a vein popping from her forehead. 

"MoCkErY iSn'T tHaT fUnNy." Lance followed Lin's lead and even Tolomeo joined in on the laughing. 

"What's going on in here?" Their mom poked her head through the door. Catherine was fuming and the others were simply laughing. "Don't listen to them, your glasses look great dear." She said simply and walked back into the kitchen. They all gave each other bewildered looks before crumbling to the floor in hysterics. Even Catherine cracked a small smile at that one. Their mom could be such a ditz sometimes. 

"Guys! Guys!" Ramira came running into the room, nearly tripping over their glass table. "Papa says quiet! Quiet so study! Or work! Um...work!" She scolded with her small voice. Lance beamed at her. 

"Quiet? You want us to be quiet? But then how could I do this!" He grabbed her by her stomach and flew her around in circles. She giggled and laughed loudly. 

"Airplane! Wee woo! Wee woo!" 

Tomoleo, who had just walked in the room, gave her an odd look. 

"That's an ambulance." He corrected. "It should probably sound more like "Swoosh! Swoosh!" Lance had switched her over to him as he glided her around. 

"Don't you mean," Lance took her back and she giggled some more, "Rrrrreeeurrr!" 

"Move aside amateurs," Lin snatched her away, "it's more like wooooo bshhh!"

"Isn't that the sound of a crash?" Tony asked. 

"Yup! Emergency landing!" Lin shouted, crashing her into the small boy. 

"Oh no! I'm wounded!" He said dramatically, holding a hand over his heart, and the other on his forehead. "Are there no survivors to hear my last wishes?" Lance dropped to the floor, feigning his death. Tolomeo and Lin joined soon afterward. Ramira let out a loud laugh and fell on top of Lance. "Wow. Thanks." He muttered. They all laughed some more. 

It was times like these when Lance loved his family the most. 

Back in high school, he was often made fun of for being such a joker, often being called the class clown. He ended up facing a bullying problem that landed him in home school. He fit in a lot more at home than he did anywhere else. They fought a lot, really, but all those times were erased when times like these happened.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Blue started barking wildly.

"Pizza!" Both Lance and Lin shot up. Miguel snorted from his place next to Catherine on the couch. 

"I'll get it!" Their mother quickly walked out of the kitchen and to the front door. Unfortunately, it wasn't the pizza. It was just their aunt Elisa. 

"Elisa? Why did you knock?"

"The door was locked and I lost my house key, Esmeralda." She growled. Someone had a bad day at work today...

"I think I rather much would've wanted that to be the pizza." Lance whispered. Lin rolled her eyes and elbowed him. 

"Uh, excuse me?" A quiet voice mumbled. There was a girl carrying a large bag with the name tag Nyma on her chest. She had long, beautiful hair and...were those contacts or were her eyes actually purple. 

"Well, hello there." Lance squeezed past his bickering mother and aunt. 

"I'm here with the pizza for...the McClain's? Namely Esmeralda McClain?" 

"Well, I'm Lance McClain, are you from space? Because there are stars in my--ow, Mama!" Lance cried out when said woman had grabbed his ear and dragged him away from the poor girl. She returned with a tip and took the many pizzas, accepting help from Tolomeo to get them to the kitchen. Lance was pouting and rubbing his ear when he sat down at the dinner table. 

"Lance! Wash your hands!" The brunet groaned in response and walked to the bathroom. 

"Yes, Mama!" 

The night went smoothly thankfully enough. Everyone had brushed their teeth, showered, and headed to bed with the exception of one Lance, who was applying a face mask before bed. Despite living in a place that constantly smelled bad, he always tried his best to look and smell nice. He was much more relaxed than he was that evening, and could feel his nerves settling down.  _Instead of worrying about the what if's, focus on the what now's._ Lance smiled as he crawled into bed. That had a nice ring to it. 

It was a good thing he had the best night's sleep, for the next few weeks would only bring him hell.


	2. Voltron

Lance woke up with a peaceful start for once in his lifetime. He was glad that he was finally given his own room. He used to bunk with Tolomeo and, as much as he loved that guy, he had quite a strong scent of body odor and Lance was tired of washing his clothes. He couldn't stand the smell so much he would wash both of theirs. His room consisted of glow in the dark stars (he'd never admit it, but he actually really loved the idea of traveling to space) against black walls, a computer desk that was quite dusty, a few photos of him and Lin as children framed on his dresser, laundry scattered here and there, and then a bulletin board with many photos of him and his family over the years.

They didn't really have too much growing up on this farm. Lance remembered being bullied in school simply for not having a cellphone. His mother eventually gave him one, and whereas it wasn't a fancy smartphone like everyone else had, just a simple flip phone, at least he had something. He still didn't really use it all that much. He had Lin's, Hunk's, and his mother's names in it. The house phone's too. The only time he ever used it was if he was out on the farm and forgot something like a bucket for milking the cows or shears for the sheep.

Their farm was actually a little popular amongst their town and a couple towns over. Everyone had their own chores. However, Tolomeo never minded helping out in case someone didn't do their chores. Even Ramira had one: watching over Antonina. If the woman showed any signs of distress she would run to their mom, who did the house cleaning. Miguel worked with the horses and cows, Lin worked with the chickens, Lance and Tony worked with the sheep and goats, Catherine, Antonio, and Elisa had other jobs to keep the money stable if they were low on funds, Tolomeo did most of the other yard work like fixing things or mowing the grass. William would sometimes try and help out, but was usually shoo'd away. At the end of the day, if anything extra needed done, either Tolomeo would do it or anyone else who volunteered would. Every Saturday they would either open up the store or go to the auction. Everyone was too busy to run the store everyday, though Catherine was working with Geraldo, another uncle, on doing some remodeling and possibly hiring people in. 

Basically: everything was the same every week. 

It was a good routine, Lance would admit, but it was becoming boring lately. He was motivated more than ever now hearing about the puppies and it was only a matter of days before they were born. A matter of hours. A matter of minutes. A matter of-- "Hey, Lance!" It was Lin again. 

"Oh, hey Lin. What's up?" He asked as he finished picking up the last pile of wool. 

"Cool, you're finished. Wanna skip some stones or fish or something? I'm bored as hell. Tolomeo finished early and insisted on finishing for me."

"Let's go swimming." Lance wiggled his eyebrows at her. 

"Even better!" 

The two raced back to the house and grabbed their swimwear, bringing Tony along with them as they played in the pond. It probably wasn't the best idea since there were very large fish and God knows how many hooks at the bottom. "Hey, so, can I talk to you?" Lance raised an eyebrow and pulled himself out of the water. 

"What's up?" 

"I was...well, I was actually wondering if you were okay."

"...well, I didn't forget to put on sunscreen so I got a gnarly burn on my leg." He joked. She punched him in the shoulder. 

"You know what I mean!" 

"Do I?"

"I...I'm a bit curious. We haven't really talked too much about it...how did you know you were bisexual?"

"Well, I saw a guy and was like, holy shit, I'd tap that."

"Oh my god, Lance."

"You're the one that asked."

"So you just...you just knew?" 

"I guess? Hunk kind of helped I guess. We were at a party, don't tell Mama, and I just saw this guy and he was like, drop dead gorgeous. Like, he was just beautiful. But y'know, it's normal with you girls right? You see a girl and you're like 'wow she's pretty' or whatever, but...I swear I probably would've tried to shove my tongue down his throat if I got drunk." Lin laughed and they sat in silence for a bit. "It's...kinda upsetting really. It's not like I  _don't_ like girls. In fact, girls are much prettier than boys half the time." 

"Do you mean...with Papa..."

"Yeah..."

"I'm sure one day he'll understand..."

"Yeah...one day..."

* * *

When they returned back to the house, Miguel and Tolomeo were running in circles, panicking. "What do we do?! What do we do?!" 

"Uh, are you guys okay?" Lin asked. 

"The dog is birthing!" Tolomeo cried out in panic.

They couldn't help but laugh at the way he said it.

"Come on!" Lance ran inside. Antonina was sitting down with Blue, petting her back. They walked in on the worst moment and Lance immediately walked out. "Have fun, Lin."

"Awe, hell no." She also retreated with Lance. "Let's just hope Antonina knows what she's doing. Hey, Miguel! Where is everyone?" 

"Catherine, Antonio, and Geraldo are still talking with people at the shop. Mom and Aunt Elisa are out grocery shopping at the market and they took Ramira with them, William is in the bathroom, something about not feeling well? And Tony just ran inside." Miguel informed, attempting to calm Tolomeo down. 

"I see..." She looked back inside. Tony wasn't coming out all frustrated, so everything was probably fine. 

They all waited outside for awhile, long enough for Tolomeo to become worried about what was going on. They were all pretty relieved when Tony rushed out with a big grin on his face. 

"They're here!"

Everyone quickly scrambled inside to look at the puppies. Lance took a few low quality pictures to send to Hunk, and the rest of them just marveled. 

"They're beautiful." Lin sighed. She had to hold Tony back from trying to pick one up. 

"I wonder which one we'll get to keep." Miguel mused. Lance stared at them for a very long time. They were Australian Shepherds, so they all had black coats, white underbellies, and a clash of brown here and there. He spotted one that had a sort of V shaped spot on the back and pointed at it quickly. 

"That one!"

"The runt?" Antonina questioned. "Mi nieto, that one won't be able to help too much. Es muy pequeño."

 "Abuela, it's the most unique!" He reasoned. 

"We will have to wait for your papá." Lance groaned. Of course  _he_ would say no. Lin laid her hand on Lance's shoulder. 

"I'll try my best to protect him...her...whatever it is." 

"Thanks, Lin."

"No problem!"

"So if we  _do_ keep that one, what would we name it?" Tolomeo asked. 

"Hmm...." Lance scratched his chin. 

"Oh god, don't ask Lance--" Miguel groaned.

"We'll call it...Voltron!"

"Oh Señor..." Antonina sighed. Miguel cackled and Tony's eyes lit up.

"Awesome!" He cheered. 

"What if it's a girl?" Lin inquired. 

"Voltron! Voltron! Voltron!" Lance and Tony cheered in unison. Everyone rolled their eyes. 

"Voltron isn't a girl name..."

"Voltron!" Tony cheered again, jumping up and down. Lance sent her a smug smirk. 

"Great." 

* * *

The next six weeks passed by too quickly for anyone's liking. Just yesterday it seemed like they had just been born, and now all the puppies were running around excitedly. Catherine managed to sell two of them already, but their owners haven't really came to get them yet. The woman was running around all day, cracking down on everyone about finishing their work before they got here and to round up all the puppies into the house.

"Tony! No comas eso! Ramira! Dena Dr jalar do cabello de la abuela!" It was actually quite odd hearing Catherine speak Spanish. She was usually the last one to do so. 

Tony and Ramira both stuck their tongues out at her. 

"Ugh! Dónde está mamá!" She yelled in frustration. 

"I got this, Cathy!" Lin jumped up on the dining room table. "Si todos ustedes no se establecen, no obtendrá aperitivos después de la cena!" She shouted. Both Tony and Ramira started behaving after that. 

"Nice job, sis." Lance snickered. She looked proudly at him.

"Thanks, Lance." 

The people finally arrived, and the business went very smoothly, much to Catherine's relief. "Two down, three to go." She sighed, looking down at 'Voltron', who was cuddling her leg. She looked up at Lance and Tony, who were balancing pencils on their noses like some sort of contest.  She looked down at the puppy again. "There is no way papá will keep you." She sighed, patting it's head. "You're just too small. Besides, you need a better name anyways." 

She would be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed that this one would have to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keith will arrive soon I swear it. This fic literally has me rushing I want the two gays to meet already...but it probably won't happen for another few chapters. Also hmu if y'all have any good Klance fics they give me strength.


	3. A Guy Named Keith

"Sup, Kogane?" 

Keith looked up from his laptop where he was finishing his essay. 

"Just working on my last essay." He replied. "And you?" 

"Oh, not much. Just, surfing the net. Check it out." The short boy spun his laptop around to face Keith. There was an image of a large family. He didn't really understand what he was supposed to be looking at. 

"Um...?" Pidge looked over and face palmed.

"Oh shit, wrong one. Here." This time it was a picture of six puppies. Keith didn't recognize the breed. It did look like some sort of shepherd... "Australian Shepherds." He informed as if he read Keith's mind. 

"Okay...?"

"I think we need them."

"...why? Did you even ask your parents if you could have one?" 

"They promised me they'd get me a dog last year. Instead I got my brother coming home from college." Keith snorted. "Besides, I'm moving on campus soon so I'll be by myself anyways."

"Aren't pets not allowed on campus?"

Pidge retorted with a shrug, "what they don't know won't hurt them." 

"But if you get a roommate--"

"I'm not getting a roommate. It's bad enough they're already putting me in the girls' dorm despite my request." He sighed and turned the laptop back to himself. "And, y'know, aside from my dysphoria problems, you've got that PTSD thing so I think we should both get one. They're usually super expensive, but I found some pretty affordable ones...uh...way down south."

"Down south? Pidge--" 

"Yeah, I know, I know. We live up North. But didn't you live in Texas?" 

"Yeah. Til' I was adopted..."

"Yeah, well, they live way out in the middle of nowhere in Texas, and they're actually Cuban? I think you'd be better at navigating than I would. Not to mention I'm not even old enough to drive by myself."

"You want me to drive all the way to Texas to pick up some therapy dogs. Pidge, that's a lot of gas--" 

"Yeah, I'll help pay for half of that." 

"How did you get enough money to buy a dog and pay for gas across the country anyways?" 

Pidge simply winked. 

"That's for me to know and no one to find out. Just, do me a favor and don't tell my dad I paid any money at all." 

"...noted." He muttered, returning to his laptop. He supposed that a therapy dog wouldn't be too bad. His apartment allowed pets...

"Okay, sent. I just sent out an email about how you're interested in buying two. What would be a good day...or days for you to go?"

Keith really didn't want to go at all. He supposed the price was probably worth it though. He also hadn't visited his home state in a long time though. Maybe he could visit his parents...

"Well, finals are at the end of this week, so I guess I can go down Saturday. Should I take Shiro with me?"

"I dunno, man. He might not want to go. Wasn't he just engaged?"

"I suppose you have a point there. What if I break down?"

"Um. Cry into the desert?" 

Keith rolled his eyes irritably. "I meant my  _car,_ Pidge.

"I knew that. It was a joke." 

"Ha ha." The older faked an awful laugh. 

"If you break down, I'm sure you can just call Shiro and he'll tell you what to do. Emotionally and technically." 

"Thanks, Pidge." Keith said flatly. 

"No problem! Now, if you excuse me, I have to head home. Mom doesn't like me out and about if I don't tell her what I'm doing. I swear, she's so protective." Pidge sighed. 

"Your dad launched himself unintentionally into space with your brother for a whole month. She has a reason to worry."

"Point taken." He nodded.

 Pidge collected his things and gave a look to Keith. "Say hi to Matt for me." Keith smirked at him. Pidge rolled his eyes and walked out the door without so much as a goodbye. 

They used to be so close, him and Matt. Keith remembered when Pidge was younger, he would always hiss when Keith came over. He wasn't really sure what drove them apart. Maybe it was when Matt had confessed to having feelings for him, but Keith wasn't really looking for a relationship at the time. He actually didn't know if he'd ever really look for a relationship. It never really seemed to work out with anyone, though he did like to imagine that one day he'd be happy, laying in bed with the one he loved and wake up to good morning kisses...

_What a sap._

He was pretty sure no one would expect that from him. He tended to shy himself away from social gatherings, and he didn't have many friends. He had Pidge, Matt, Shiro, and quite possibly Allura. He didn't really see what the problem was, he didn't  _need_ anyone else. Everyone at college were childish anyways. And he didn't mean their personalities. They constantly picked on others for stupid things: his mullet, for example. It wasn't like his hair was bothering them...

Keith sighed and closed his laptop. There was no way he could focus now. He's just have to get it done before finals. He wasn't really too worried. His grades were quite stunning. Even Shiro had tried to get him to transfer to a better college. But college was expensive and he couldn't work full time anymore. He wasn't exactly sure what he even wanted to do with his life at this point. Part of him just wanted to drop out and explore the world with his father's savings, but part of him wanted to explore different opportunities in life. 

He was stirred away from his thoughts when he received a text from Pidge. 

_Pidgeon: Yo, Keith. Sunday morn sound good to meet up with that family?_

_Me: yeah._

That gave him three days to pack and get ready. He'd finish his finals on Friday, pack up, and then leave Friday night or Saturday morning. He probably wasn't going to try for a motel or anything. He'd probably just sleep in his car if needed. Keith told himself he needed a little alone time and this was the perfect opportunity. 

* * *

The drive was long and exhausting and he was probably going to throw something at Pidge when he got back. The kid did keep his end of the bargain and gave him money for the dog and gas. Keith wasn't going to question how the shrimp got his hands on the money; he probably didn't want to know. He almost got lost three times and was just about to hit the border of Texas at seven in the morning when he got a call from Shiro. 

That usually wasn't a good thing. 

Shiro would always text him, rather than calling. He knew Keith didn't like to talk over the phone. It's all he ever had to do when he was very young and his birth mother worked abroad. Keith sighed and picked up. 

"Hello?"

"Hey, Keith, I hate to bother you so early in the morning, but can you help me with something." Keith pursed his lips and paid a toll for the road. 

"Um...maybe?"

He forgot to tell Shiro he was going on a trip,

"I know you just finished finals, and you probably don't want to do anymore work, but Matt has been bothering me to tutor him for days now and I don't have time at the moment." 

Ironically enough, neither did Keith.

"Uh--"

"Listen, I know things are awkward, but I just...can you do it for me?"

"When, Shiro."

"Well, I'm helping Allura set up our pool right now. I could probably come pick you up after we finish putting the hose in?"

"Ah...um...can it wait, like, another day or two?" 

Shiro was silent for a moment. 

"Keith, where are you?" 

"Um..." Keith glanced at the sign he just passed that announced he was officially in Texas. "...Texas?"

Shiro was silent for a few minutes.

"What."

"I forgot to mention it the other day. Pidge and I are getting dogs."

"In Texas? Is this a joke? Are you pulling my leg?"

"No, unfortunately not. But Pidge said that this was probably the cheapest way to get our hands on this type of breed so..."

"Are you by yourself?! What happens if you get in an accident?! Why didn't you ask me to come with you?!"

"Well, I figured you'd be busy."

"As awkward as it would be, you could've asked Matt!" 

"Shiro, I'm fine. If something happens, I'll call you. Okay? Bye." Keith hung up and put the phone back in the cup holder so he could look at the directions.

Luckily he didn't have to go too far before he pulled into a very long driveway.  _I hope that source was reliable. Don't exactly fancy being murdered out here in the middle of nowhere._ Keith sighed and noticed that he was on a farm. He didn't park too close to the house, but close enough so that it wouldn't be a long walk. He looked around cautiously before giving three sharp knocks on the door. It flung open, nearly smacking him in the face. 

"SomebODY ONCE TOLD ME--" Keith quickly hopped away from the door. 

"Miguel!" Another lady screamed from what Keith guessed was the living room. In front of him stood a very tall man who...looked a little bit like Matt, except hair hair was a little more wavy and he didn't wear glasses.

"Awe, damn, you're not Lance! I thought I got him for sure that time!" Miguel was quickly shoved aside by a woman, whose looks screamed strict. 

"You must be Mr. Kogane! My name is Catherine McClain, you are here for two puppies, yes?"

"Yeah, actually--" 

"Who's here, Cat!?" A little girl came running up and stared at Keith. 

"Um..." He was  _not_ good with kids. 

"Not now, Ramira. Mamá! Get the puppies! Mr. Kogane, please, make yourself at home."

"Just, uh, Keith is fine." He walked in and immediately knew he could  _not_ make himself at home. He never had a single sibling. There were people  _everywhere._

"Tolomeo, can you grab the other two?" He heard an older woman say. In under five minutes, the puppies were gathered for him. All he knew for Pidge was that he wanted a girl. He wasn't sure what he himself wanted. He stared down at the puppies. 

"Um. Just, two girls." One of the other women looked distressed. She was a little younger than him, and he really thought she was going to attack him. 

"Well, there's only two girls left, so I hope you aren't too picky." Catherine placed two puppies in front of him. 

"Lance se molestará si le das lejos." She hissed in another language. Keith could barely recognize it as Spanish. He hadn't learned Spanish since high school. 

"No depende de él cuál mantenemos." Catherine said back to her. 

"Does it have to be a girl?" The one who had been glaring at him for the past hour asked. But Keith wasn't really listening. He was petting 'Voltron's' belly with a small smile and she jumped and licked his face happily. He did look up when it became silent. 

"Uh...what?" 

"A ella le gusta, Lin. Lance will live." 

Lin sighed as she watched the puppy happily prance around Keith. The guy smiled at her and held her in his arms. She so badly wanted Lance to be happy, and he knew that Voltron...or...whatever her name was going to be now, would make him happy...but she would also make this guy happy too. He didn't seem like a guy who was too open about his feelings. Maybe...he needed this too. 

"I'm not breaking the news to him."

* * *

 

"You  _what?!"_ Lance cried out in horror. 

"Don't look at me! Catherine was the one who gave her away."

"I didn't give her away!" Said woman snapped. "I sold her. We earned profit. Besides, the customer was thoroughly satisfied."

"The customer--who?!" Lance asked, venom obviously in his voice. 

"Some guy named Keith." Lin waved dismissively.

"Not just some guy. He lives in a faraway city with stunning grades and--"

"Keith, huh?" Lance growled low in his throat. 

"Oh, let it go, Lance. It was just a dog." Catherine huffed.

"Voltron was special!" He whined. "Anytime I was upset it was like she could sense what I was feeling! She was by my side in a matter of minutes! She wasn't just a dog, Catherine!" 

"Now, Lance," Tolomeo spoke up, "I know she meant a lot to you, but it's not like there's anything we can do now. You'll just have to forget about her. Focus on the new puppy. I'm sure he would love to be your best friend too--"

"Don't talk to me like I'm some child!" Lance stood up. He was irritated enough hearing about the news. He didn't need Tolo talking to him like he was a ten year old. He didn't think Voltron would love anyone else, really. She was constantly by his side...even when he went swimming.

There was something about this Keith guy, and he was going to find out what.

**Author's Note:**

> Catherine: 26  
> Tolomeo: 24  
> William: 68  
> Antonina: 89  
> Elisa: 42  
> Esmeralda: 44  
> Geraldo (not yet mentioned): 40  
> Tony: 9  
> Ramira: 6  
> Lin: 20  
> Miguel: 25


End file.
